Every Pebble Makes a Difference
by JT4Life
Summary: It was long past midnight, but Olivia Dunham could not sleep... there was something nagging at the corners of her mind that would not let her sleep. Peter/Olivia pairing, a continuation/what happened after Bad Dreams. Enjoy :D. LAST CHAPTER UP!
1. Chapter 1

_Howdy! I thought of this on the spot a couple hours ago, and I just had to get it down. It's going to be a few chappies long in the end, I think, all based on the events of Bad Dreams (BEST EP EVER!)._

_Disclaimer: Don't own it, never will. You'd know if I did. TRUST ME, you would. ;)_

_Spoilers for Bad Dreams, obviously. Peter/Olivia all the way._

_Enjoy!!!_

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**Every Pebble Makes a Difference**

It was long past midnight, but Olivia Dunham could not sleep. The day had been a long, confusing, emotional, deeply scarring one, no different than any other day, but there was something nagging at the corners of her mind that would not let her sleep. And God knows she needed it. Whatever it was, now that she had clamed down and her already over stimulated brain had begun to cool down, it was driving her sleep-deprived self crazy, both mentally and physically.

Olivia tossed and turned in her bed, trying to find a comfortable position. She already knew that it was going to be one of 'those nights' when nothing she did made any difference as to how well she would end up sleeping. Every time she tried to reposition herself, the sheets would only get tangled and, in her growing frustration, she would kick them off. Less than a minute later, she would begin to feel cold and have to grope around in the semi-darkness trying to find them. When she would get too hot from all her tossing and turning, Olivia would get tangled once again and find herself sweating and forcefully thrash about until the covers were almost off the bed. Then the vicious cycle would repeat itself again and again until Olivia could no longer stand it.

No longer feeling tired, the blonde agent kicked off the covers for the last time and angrily threw her legs over the side of the bed, panting. Olivia squeezed her eyes shut, feeling tears well up inside her. They were tears of exhaustion, rage, frustration and a billion and one other things she couldn't name, but the majority of it was definitely the lack of sleep catching up with her. Even though she couldn't. Her damned mind wouldn't let her! Rocking back and forth slightly on the edge of the bed, eyes still shut; Olivia bit her lower lip – hard. It was starting to tremble and she could not let that happen, not even in the comfort of her own home with her own family. Olivia swore under her breath. She couldn't remember the last time she'd been this frustrated with… everything. It wasn't one specific thing; it was a whole mesh of small pebbles and boulders that, over time, had created a landslide that she could barely hold her ground in. It was something she fought every day, and today, right now even, a few more rocks from the day's events had been added and she was losing her footing.

Closer to tears than ever, Olivia got up and padded her way on silent bare feet to the kitchen. With every thought of Nick, her precious friend that she couldn't even remember anything about, the mysterious cortexiphan that ran through her veins, her visions… it was another pebble in a world that was seemingly going out of its way to bring her down.

Then there was Peter.

"Oh, Peter…" Olivia whispered, her voice cracking as she sat down at one of the bar stools and lay her cheek against the cool granite counter. She didn't have the strength to stand up, not when Peter was a fresh thought in her mind. He had always shown his compassion and care for her, but today more than ever he had been the very definition of a knight in shining armor. With a sigh, Olivia recounted the moment that they had shared in the hospital corridor. She had allowed herself to break down in front of him then, but not fully. What had seemed like many, many days ago, when it had in fact only been less than twenty-four hours, Olivia had felt the need for him to hold her. Her memory of standing before him as his voice had slowly eased her breathing and her racing pulse was one that played over and over in her mind's eye. In that moment she had wanted, _needed_ him to wrap his arms around her. Olivia remembered the burning need she had felt and the desperation she had tried to convey through her eyes as he stared her down with his own beautiful, green ones. Obviously, Peter had gotten the message. He had enveloped her and been her shield from the raging avalanche that existed just beyond his circle of comfort. He had take the heat for her for just a moment, and in that moment, Olivia had regained enough strength to carry on.

Or at least she'd thought that it would be enough.

Later, even though she'd been in a deep, hypnotically induced REM sleep, somewhere in that darkness between visions, his touch had somehow found her and it had once again put her troubled mind at ease. When she couldn't find the strength to go on, when slipping into nothingness felt like it would be a nicer existence than the one she would wake up to, he had been there to pull her back, to anchor her against the onslaught and give her time to find her footing again.

It wasn't something that Olivia was willing to admit out loud, but her brain, whatever part of it was still making any kind of rational sense, had come to a conclusion: it was Peter – the thing that had been stopping her from sleeping until she'd figured it out, it was all Peter. It was the fact that Peter was the only one who could save her from the forces of nature that had her on her knees. The only one who knew exactly what to do to help her, and always exactly when she needed it. The only one who she trusted enough to come that close.

Her head snapped up as a knock on the door broke into her thoughts and made her jump.

_Who the hell would be here at this hour?_

Olivia frowned with her hand on the doorknob, a thought suddenly crossing her mind. A wild, ridiculous, out-of-this-world thought – a guess, a faint hope, even.

Without even looking into the peephole, she pulled the door wide open and her tired eyes went as wide as saucers. For there stood Peter Bishop, _her_ knight in shining armor… or in just an un-tucked shirt and jeans. But, at this hour, and in this mindset, Olivia honestly couldn't tell the difference between the two.

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_So? How did I do?_

_Y'all must know that the chappies come faster with more reviews.... haha, kidding! They'll be coming no matter what... but I'd love to hear your thoughts anyways!_

_xoxo_


	2. Chapter 2

_Here's the next chapter!! This one's a bit longer... and just a heads up this update is probably the fastest I've ever done, so the next might be a couple days. sorry! life is busy._

_I'm not sure if I'm totally 100% thrilled with how this came out, but you read it and tell me what you think!_

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Olivia's mouth opened like she was about to say something and no sound came out. She didn't know what to say. Of course she _wanted_ to, wanted to tell him how perfectly his timing was, or thank him for everything that he'd done for her, but she had gone temporarily mute and could only stand before him, eyes wide and mouth open slightly.

Peter, being the intelligent person that he was, and being able to read her so well, immediately recognized that something wasn't right. He saw the stress patterns in her face, the light sheen of sweat on her bare arms, shoulders, chest and forehead, and the way her big eyes looked watery and puffy. Not to mention the fact that she was staring at him with the air of one who was in a total daze.

"Olivia?" He said her name gently and took a cautious step toward her. Whatever the hell was up, he would have to play it slow and easy. "What's the matter?" Peter looked down at his shirt and decided to try another approach. "You're not starring because I've got something on my shirt, right?"

Then he smiled at her. That crooked, wry smile that she loved so much. Olivia smiled and shook her head. No, there wasn't a speck of food on his shirt, and he'd caught her starring. Peter was just being funny because… because that's what Peter did. He was the one to crack the witty jokes and loosen up the tension in a room.

Still unspeaking, Olivia stepped backwards and allowed him to come in, keeping her distance. She wanted nothing more than to feel Peter's arms around her again and his breath on her neck. But she restrained herself. She didn't want to come across as desperate… even though she was as desperate as she'd ever be. Olivia closed the door quietly behind Peter, as to not wake Rachel and Ella, and pressed her back to it.

_Distance._

Peter turned around and, upon seeing her with her back to the door, being passive and, even weirder, absolutely silent, he began to grow really worried.

He tried for the quiet but more direct approach. "'Liv? You're not right. I don't know what it is, but you're really starting to scare me." He crossed the distance between them in four easy strides and came to stand right in front of her, his face just inches from hers – Peter practically had her pinned to the door. Olivia's mouth opened again like she wanted to say something but couldn't bring herself to. Her eyes were still glazed over, and she just stared at him, a certain spark in those deep green orbs that was something close to pure wonder and awe. Mimicking his actions from earlier, Peter reached up and placed a hand lightly on her cheek. The moment his hand came into contact with her skin, Olivia relaxed. Her shoulders dropped, her eyes closed and she leant into his touch like it was the only thing in the world that mattered to her. Peter's frown deepened, but it was more one of concern and understanding – whatever she was going through, Peter could make a logical guess that he'd been to that same place once or twice before. He began to stroke her cheek with his thumb and whispered her name once more.

"Olivia."

Her eyes opened slowly and looked up at him sheepishly from under her lashes. Peter offered her small smile, gazing earnestly into her face. "Hey… there's no need to be sorry, 'Livia, it's ok."

She didn't appear at all surprised that he'd been able to read her expressions and emotions flawlessly. Finally, Olivia opened her mouth and, this time, words came out. "Peter… I – I… you have no idea how much I…" she trailed off as tears welled up in her eyes. Peter waited patiently as she gathered her thoughts together. "Earlier, in the hospital, and in my vision, you… you were there."

"Yes… yes I was 'Liv."

Olivia looked flustered and blushed a deep shade of red, enough that Peter could feel the heat on his hand which was still resting soothingly on her soft skin. "You must have no idea what the hell I'm going on about…." She wiped away a tear and looked down in embarrassment.

Without another thought, Peter placed his free hand on the other side of her face, gently tipping her head up to look at him.

"Here's what I know. I know you've been through shit today and you don't deserve it. You don't deserve any of it… and I think you should have more – more than this crappy, shitty world that you have to save people from every day. You get so involved in saving and protecting everyone else that you…" he paused, wondering how to say what he wanted her to know with some degree of eloquence. "You forget about yourself, and what _you_ need; what you _want_."

Peter had saved his best card for last, the honesty one, the one that could potentially be used against him some day if he played it around the wrong people, but Olivia was well worth it. He trusted her more than he'd ever trusted anyone in his whole life. Sure, he'd relied on people before, but never to this degree, and never had he felt the compulsion to take care of someone at strongly as he did for Olivia.

This time, the words that had come pouring out of Peter, straight from his soul, had an effect on Olivia. Her lower lip quivered and she threw herself into his arms, burying her face in his neck. Peter hugged her back fiercely as the thought hit him like a ton of bricks: he needed her, just as much as she needed him. It was a balance that they both worked so hard to maintain, even though neither fully understood it until now.

Olivia let silent tears roll down her cheeks and spill onto Peter's sweater. She didn't care is he saw her crying. Peter had just done a bit of soul-searching for her, something that didn't come around too often with the younger Bishop. For that, Olivia was grateful, and even more so for his open kindness. His arms around her just felt so good, like the way his hands rubbed slowly up and down her back and through her hair. It just felt so… _natural_. Their bodies pressed together in a gratifying embrace was something that offered her more comfort than anything had in a very long while.

She was unsure how long they remained in a companionable silence, but it was eventually broken by Peter whispering softly in her ear. "You couldn't sleep."

"No, I couldn't," Olivia mumbled into his shoulder, her eyes closed and her breath coming in slow, deep heaves.

"You must be exhausted by now, 'Liv," he replied softly, running a hand through her silky blonde hair. He began to pull away slowly, afraid that she might fall asleep on his shoulder. "C'mon, you should get into bed."

Olivia held him tighter. Letting go wasn't something that she wanted to happen any time soon. Now that she had him at her side, Olivia was almost addicted to his touch. It had calmed her like nothing else could or would… but she did need her sleep. And, truth be told, she was beginning to fall asleep on Peter, even though she was still standing up.

That's when the second crazy idea of the night popped into her head. It made sense to her exhausted, not totally put together mind, but it was kind of… strange. And how to ask Peter?

After another moment of silently swaying on the spot, Olivia allowed Peter to pull away from her slightly, his arms still around her waist. She took a deep breath. God, she hoped he wouldn't take this the wrong way.

"Peter?"

"Yes?"

Olivia bit her lip. "Would… would you mind staying? With me?"

Peter's expression changed and, before she even bothered to wait and see what he would say, she launched into a run-on excuse. "God, no, I mean, wow that sounds terrible, I _know_ how it sounds and it's not what you think, I swear, I'm not asking you _that_," she glanced up into his eyes, ashamed as hell.

However, Peter's expression made her doubts and fears vanish into thin air. He was smiling, if slightly amused by her fretting, but he pressed her closer to him and very quietly murmured, "I'd be happy to, sweetheart." Peter smiled, and Olivia automatically smiled back. "But," he began again, "I can't guarantee that you'll be able to restrain yourself. I'm a very persuasive man."

At this, Olivia burst into hysterical giggles and clamped a hand over her mouth to stifle them. Peter shrugged and gazed at her with a mock-serious expression. "You've been warned, Dunham, that's all I'm gonna say."

"Good, or else you'll wake up Rachel…" Olivia stopped mid-sentence, realizing that it hadn't been more than a week or so since Peter had called asking for the younger of the two Dunham sisters. Needless to say, it was a touchy topic; at least it was for her.

Peter seemed unaffected and lowered his voice again, whispering, "I think it would be a little hard to explain the full story to her in detail without disclosing any… _confidential_ information. And besides," he added with a wink, "she might get jealous."

Olivia loved Peter's witty, almost flirty remarks, especially when the flirtier ones were in her favor, but she truly was afraid that Rachel, or worse, Ella would wake up if they made too much noise.

"Um, this way," she spoke softly and led Peter into her bedroom, and he followed after her obediently. She starred at her bed and made a face. It was still a tangle of sheets and blankets that had either been twisted into piles or hanging half off the edge of the bed.

Peter raised his eyebrows. "Wow, you weren't kidding when you said you couldn't sleep." He began pulling blankets off the bed to untangle them, fluff up the pillows and Olivia stood there watching him for one stupefied moment before lending him a hand.

When the bed was looking somewhat decent, Peter came to stand beside Olivia. In the darkness, his eyes shone with a fire all their own. His hands gently come to rest on her bare shoulders, and then on her waist, sending an involuntary shiver down Olivia's back.

"You first," he said gently, the playful spark still in his eyes, but somehow, this was more intimate.

_Damn him and his persuasiveness._

Olivia lay down slowly, cautiously, her pulse beginning to quicken. Peter joined her momentarily after removing his shirt. "No promises, 'Liv, remember?" he smiled and she returned it nervously, a deep blush creeping up her neck. He crawled onto the bed and propped himself up on one elbow beside her, almost on top of her. Olivia could feel the heat building up inside her; she was panting again, but not from anger… it was something quite different. Peter leaned over her and Olivia couldn't help but utter a small sigh as he lowered himself against her, slipping his arm underneath her and pulling her into an embrace.

"Goodnight, Olivia…" he whispered, his lips brushing her jaw bone and lingering for a moment. "Get some sleep, ok?"

Olivia just nodded. It was all she could do in this situation. Peter was on top of her, kissing her, holding her… _shirtless_… and she found that she liked the idea one hell of a lot more than she should.

Suddenly, Peter tightened his grip on her and, without warning, rolled her over so that she ended up on her side, front to front with Peter. His warmth seeped though her thin tank top and sweats, heating her up even more. Peter's arms still cradled her back, rubbing small circles along her spine. His nose was almost brushing against hers – they were so close.

"Thank you, Peter."

"You're welcome, 'Liv."

"Goodnight…"

Olivia closed her eyes and felt his legs entwine with hers. She grinned and snuggled closer to Peter, resting her head against his bare chest and touching his smooth shoulder with delicate fingers. Peter positioned his head on top of hers, his lips brushing her temple and coming to rest there as a strong but gentle hand gently fingered the little wisps of hair away from her earlobe.

"Peter…"

The small, pleasing murmur escaped Olivia's lips just before she fell asleep. Finally, her mind and body would let her rest, because some subconscious part of her knew that she would only be satisfied with Peter Bishop's warmth at her side.

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_Any thoughts? I'd love to hear 'em! and i have a pretty good idea of where this is going now..._

_Reviews still play a role in how fast the chappies come, cuz reviews are love :)_


	3. Chapter 3

_Here's the next chapter, and again I apologize if it took a while to post. I've been crazy busy lately...._

_I hope you all enjoy it (especially cuz I'm kinda proud of this bit turned out :D)_

_Disclaimer: Don't own anything, never will. But I'll keep dreaming. ;)_

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At first, Olivia had thought that it would only be a one-time deal, that Peter wouldn't be coming over every night like he had been for the past four nights. But Peter had become her own, personal drug. She couldn't sleep without him; it was a solid fact. Olivia had tried to go to sleep on her own the night after he had slept with h-… _stayed the night._ Saying that they were sleeping together was technically incorrect, so she shouldn't say it. He was just doing her a favor as a friend, a very close one, but just a friend nonetheless. Her reliance on Peter wasn't the principal issue, though – it was more along the lines of worrying about what would happen if someone found out what they were doing. Peter would slip out of her apartment before her alarm even sounded, and then met her at the lab, just to make look like nothing had changed on the outside.

But on the inside, things had most definitely changed.

She wasn't doing anything illegal with him, but if anyone knew, somehow she knew that it wouldn't look good to Walter, Astrid, her boss… or ever Rachel. In terms of her beautiful niece, all she could do was thank God that Ella was too young to understand the wild reality of relationships in the big world. What's more, she would look weak; weak and fragile, and it drove her crazy that she couldn't control her personal walls anymore, at least not with Peter.

Olivia was mulling all these things over while reading a report that she was supposed to be proofreading, but found that she had read through the same page about five times and hadn't taken in a word of it. Sighing heavily, Olivia took off her reading glasses and rested her elbows on the table, resting her head on her hands and closing her eyes. Just thinking about all of it made her tired – Peter, sleeping in the same bed as Peter, guiltily beginning to enjoy every moment of sleeping with Peter….

Her eyes snapped open. Nope, there would be none of _that_, no matter how good it made her feel to be at his side every night, to know that there was someone there when the nightmares woke her up once, twice, sometimes three times each night. Knowing that, of all people, Peter was the one beside her, gently stroking her hair or massaging her temples until she relaxed. Even more, she was sure that disturbing his sleep for a few nights in a row would begin to annoy him, but on the contrary, Peter had never looked better. Just another thing that had Olivia fretting about their current… _situation_. He was obviously taking some kind of pleasure in it, she was starting to like it too… no, not _liking_ it per say, just… just….

Olivia groaned and slumped further into her chair until her forehead was resting against the desktop. She was so tired, she needed to go find Peter, she needed to talk to him, needed to make sure that they were on the same page, and then she could sleep with a clear conscience. Collecting her things in a hurry, Olivia managed to come out of her office in a bustle, not nearly as stealthily as she would have preferred her exit to be.

Walter was still in the lab, tinkering with something of other and a Petri dish filled in some kind of thick, black substance. Peter was sitting on the couch, his eyes glued to a book, but he looked up when the office door closed behind her.

They made eye-contact seconds before Walter jumped up and noticed her entrance. So much for having a nice talk with Peter.

"Olivia, dear, I didn't know that you were still here! You've been as quiet as a mouse."

"I was just getting some paper work done, that's all," Olivia said, giving Walter a small smile and immediately making a beeline for Peter in the faint hope of having some kind of conversation with him without Walter listening in.

Peter hoped off the couch when she approached, sending a wary glace in the direction of his father who had lost interest in Olivia and was back to fiddling with his toys.

"You ready to go?" he asked quietly.

"Yeah, but, I…"

"You…?" Peter encouraged her, his worried frown beginning to show itself. "What is it, 'Liv?"

Olivia chose her words very carefully. "I need to talk to you about something important… you know what I mean."

Peter shook his head, a teasing smile lifting the corners of his lips and lighting up his face with an unknown light. "I'm not sure I quite follow you."

"Peter, come on, you know what I mean." Olivia meant business, and tried to convey that through her intense stare.

Peter nodded understandingly. "How about we drop Walter off at the hotel and then we can talk." Olivia nodded in response and both sprung into action. "Walter, we're leaving now, time to go!" Peter called across the lab while grabbing both his and Walter's coats.

The scientist looked up meekly from his work like a little kid who was just told it was time to leave the park. "So soon?" he asked sadly, but complied with his son's wishes and began packing up his things and pulling the coat that Peter handed him over his shoulders.

Olivia went around shutting everything down for the night systematically – the computers, all of the humming machinery and then the lights behind them on their way out.

"My goodness, you two certainly are in quite a rush this evening," Walter commented as Peter hurried him. Then the older man's face lit up. "You're aren't going to take Olivia to a motel are you? Because I have already offered our bed at the hotel if you ever wanted it, there's really no need to go and may extra money for –,"

"That's enough now, Walter," Peter cut him off abruptly, taking his father's arm and steering him toward the car.

Olivia was grateful it was so dark outside; else her mad blushing would have definitely given them away.

Walter was unusually quiet in the back of the Vista Cruiser. The ride home was a rather silent one, for a change.

Peter dropped Olivia off outside her apartment and, with a knowing smile, bid her goodnight.

Olivia watched the car speed away on the dark street, wondering how long they would have to keep up this ruse.

X

Olivia forgot all about her predicament once she stepped in the door. Ella came running to give her aunt a hug, proudly holding up a box of Mac & Cheese that she insisted Olivia help to make. Amidst the cooking, the mixing, the sticky hands and the laughter, Olivia forgot all about Peter and the text message he would be sending her when he was ready to come over.

When the phone rang during the family dishwashing, Olivia didn't think anything of it, not until Rachel answered, frowned and then smiled. "Ok, one second, she'll be right there," she told the caller quickly before holding it out to her sister. "It's for you, 'Livvy."

"Who is it?" Olivia replied distractedly, too preoccupied with getting a stain off of one of her glass bowls.

"It's _Peter_, hun." Rachel smiled, firing her sister a wink and handing off the phone. "I'll put Ella to bed, ok? I might fall asleep, so don't wait up."

Olivia nodded, gave her sister a wave and put the phone to her ear. Her pulse had begun to rush from the moment that Rachel had said Peter's name, and her voice came out a lot shakier than she'd thought it was.

"Peter?"

"Olivia? Why didn't you pick up your cell?"

Olivia glanced to the front door where she'd thrown her coat over the couch and, yes, that was her phone resting on top of it.

"I didn't have it on me, we were making Mac & Cheese," she said and smiled at the sound of his chuckles on the other end of the line.

"Save some for me, ok? I haven't had that stuff in ages. It's the old school kind from the box, right?"

"Yes, that's the one," Olivia confirmed, her smile growing with each passing second of the conversation.

"Great, see you in a few minutes."

"Bye, Peter."

"Bye, 'Liv."

Olivia hung up the phone and allowed herself one smug smile. Peter had called. He had called for _her_. He was coming to stay the night… all because _he_ wanted to help _her_. She did still want to talk to him about a few things, but it didn't seem like such a daunting task anymore.

After a few more minutes of dishwashing, Olivia nearly jumped when she heard a soft knock at the door. Washing her hands off as quickly as possible, she padded silently down the hall to confirm that both Rachel and Ella were sound asleep. Poking her head in the guest room and seeing both mother and daughter curled up together on the bed, Olivia smiled, silently closed the door, and made her way back to answer the door with a silly smile on her face. All the sneaking – it was so much like what she had had to do when she and John were an item, and quite frankly, it had given her the same thrill then as it did now.

"Hey," Peter greeted her with his signature smile and she stepped back to let him in. "So, did you end up saving me any of that Mac & Cheese, or shall we just get it on?"

Olivia laughed and gently elbowed him in the side on her way to the kitchen, holding a finger to her lips to indicate that he should quiet down. "I did save you some, don't worry, Peter," she said is a voice just above a whisper, though the smile that was the result of Peter's presence was still stuck on her face. Ever since this new arrangement, their relationship had changed for the good. They were more open with each other, the banter between them more playful, and the shared private jokes more like inside jokes.

Peter got a hold of the pot that contained the last few spoonfuls of cheesy pasta and dug in.

"Gawd, dis stuff is uh-mazing," he said with full mouth and a moan of happiness at being reunited with one of his favorite childhood meals.

Olivia could only watch him, attempting to stifle inevitable chuckles, and try not to make too much noise as she dried the last few plates and put them on their shelves.

"Here, I'll wash this one, 'Liv," Peter offered once he had practically licked the pot clean. "You've done the rest of it, I might as well lend a hand with what little I can." He gave her one of his intense stares, masked with a grin as always, but this time, she could see a little bit more behind the mask, whether by his doing or her own perception skills, she did not know. "Go get ready for bed, 'Livia, I'll be right there."

"Don't make too much noise," she warned him.

Peter winked. "No worries, I got it under control."

X

Olivia had just pulled her tank top out of her drawer and was about to put it on when she heard a voice behind her.

"Whoa! Sorry, 'Liv…"

She clutched her shirt to her chest and spun to see Peter standing in the doorway with one hand over his eyes. "Not looking anymore, I promise! Should've knocked first…"

"Yeah, you might want to try that next time," Olivia replied, her voice unusually high pitched as she hurriedly pulled the shirt over her head, her face burning and probably turning redder by the second.

"Can I look now?"

"Yeah, I'm decent."

Peter slowly lowered his hand to see Olivia standing before him, arms crossed across her chest, the very image of defiance and stubborn determination. He had come to know her different looks so well by now he could call her on almost any one of them in just about every situation.

Olivia saw that he was looking at her for just a little bit too long for her to stand, so she abruptly ended the stare-off and busied herself turning down the bed covers.

"Hey Peter?"

"Yeah?" he replied, as he pulled off his shirt, like he did every night.

"I was wondering… what have you been telling Walter?"

"In regards to where I've been disappearing to these last few nights?" Peter asked as he fluffed up a pillow for each of them. Olivia nodded. "I've been putting him to bed, making sure he's asleep, and then every night I leave a note, just incase he wakes up, saying I had to run and grab something I left at the lab, or that we needed something from the store."

Olivia smiled. "A run to the store in the early hours of the morning?"

Peter shrugged, unconsciously showing off all of the muscles in his shoulders and upper back. "Why not?"

"Don't you feel a bit bad lying to him?"

Peter stood up and put his hands on his hips, starring down at the bed with a pensive expression. "You know what? I think he's all right, for now anyways. I haven't heard him say anything about the notes I've left, so I think we're off the hook."

Olivia smiled and crawled into bed. She expected him to slip in behind her, strong arms wrapping around her shoulders, but instead, Peter walked over to her side of the bed and, grinning like mad, declared: "Move over, honey, we're switching sides."

"I'm sorry?" Olivia asked, perplexed.

"The bed is starting to sag a little on my side, so how about we switch it up a little tonight?"

Olivia smiled, having a vague idea where this might be going. "I like this side."

Peter sighed. "Then you leave me no choice…" And with that, Peter scooped her up and moved her to the other side of the bed. When she began to protest, Peter leaned over and pressed a finger to her lips, raising an eyebrow. "Don't wake up the family, 'Liv."

"No fair!" She whispered, but she was still smiling just as much as Peter was.

"Ok, enough roughhousing… you really should get some sleep, Olivia, it's getting late," Peter coaxed her as he settled in behind her, one arm wrapped around her waist, the other gently rubbing slow circles on her back.

"Fine, you win… _for now_." Olivia murmured under her breath.

"I heard that," Peter whispered in her ear. He reached across her to turn out the light and returned to his position. "Good night, Olivia." He said quietly, almost seductively. Olivia's breath caught in her lungs. Maybe she was just imagining that his voice sounded like that…. Peter suddenly rolled her over to face him and placed a kiss on her cheek. Olivia was sure that her heart must have stopped beating for a moment, or at least skipped a few beats. Since the first night he'd stayed over, Peter hadn't kissed her again. His lips lingered on her cheek for a moment longer than they should have, but Olivia didn't care. If anything, she was disappointed that it didn't last any longer. Caught up in the moment, Olivia pulled Peter in close and hugged his tightly before they could go back to just spooning. When Peter realized that she wasn't going to let go soon, his grip on her tightened, his hands slipping underneath her and into her hair.

"Have I told you how much this means to me?" Olivia said softly, stroking the nape of his neck with one hand.

"Yeah, but I'd love to hear it again," he joked, burying his face further in her neck.

This made her smile. "This means a lot, thank you for –,"

"Sleeping with you every night? Not a problem, 'Liv." He pulled away slightly so that their faces were only a few inches apart. "It's my pleasure."

Olivia didn't know what to say. She just lay beneath him, and could only wonder how much longer she could ignore the blatantly obvious – that there was a shit load of feelings that she had for Peter that went well beyond friendship.

"Goodnight, sweetheart," Peter said soothingly and gently touching her cheek before lying back down and pulling her in close. Olivia snuggled closer and smiled a little when she felt his hand take hold of hers, lacing their fingers together. She closed her eyes and willed sleep to swoop down and save her before Peter could do anything else that would make her love him even more than she knew she already did.

* * *

_There it is!!! There will still be more than 1 or 2 chapters I think..._

_Let me know what you think!!! and press that pretty green button down there.... :)_

_oh, and kudos to those of you who guessed where this is going in your awesome reviews!!! I really appreciate each and every one of them._

_xoxo_


	4. Chapter 4

_Before anything, I'd like to apologize profusely to you all. I've kept you all in waiting for a month for these updates that I promised would come much faster, but when I say that the only time I had to breathe over the past month was when I was sleeping for however short a period of time, I'm not kidding/exaggerating at all. BUT - that's no excuse to deny you guys your fics which I promised to provide. So I'm sorry and I tried to make this chapter as good as I could to make up for the lack thereof in the last month. So here it is! Chapter four, and this time there WILL be more coming, and sooner than before. Enjoy._

* * *

Olivia was woken by a gentle tugging on her sleeve.

"What is it, Peter?" she muttered groggily. She really hoped that he was waking her because there was an emergency – like building was burning down – otherwise he really shouldn't be disturbing her sleep. But instead of Peter's voice, a smaller, much higher voice came in reply.

"_I'm_ not Peter, silly!"

Olivia's eyes snapped open. "Ella?"

The little girl smiled up at her, still in her pajamas, but wide-awake and cheery nonetheless. "You called me Peter, Aunt 'Liv! You must be really sleepy," Ella giggled, covering her mouth with both hands to stifle it.

"Wha's all th' noise about?" Peter's voice, just as groggy as Olivia's, came from over her shoulder. He had pulled himself into a half sitting position and was peeking over Olivia to see what the ruckus was that had woken him. Ella's eyes lit up when she saw him.

"Peter! You really _are_ here!" she squealed and jumped up into bed, squeezing herself in between the sleepy, half-awake couple. One the little girl was settled in comfortably, she turned to her aunt with a quizzical look on her face. "Aunt 'Liv, you didn't tell me that Peter was staying for a sleepover, or I would have tried to stay awake longer!" Ella turned to Peter. "What time did you get here? 'Cuz I went to bed really late last night, mommy said."

Olivia looked up at Peter and they met each other's gaze. Without even talking, both immediately knew what the other was thinking. _What were they supposed to tell the little girl?_ Olivia glanced over at her alarm clock, wonder why Ella was up and about so early.

_8:38 AM_

So it wasn't really early at all. They'd both just slept through their alarms. _Swell_.

Suddenly, Rachel's equally sleepy voice drifted to Olivia's ears from somewhere down the hall.

"Ella are you disturbing your aunt? Now you remember what we talked about young lady…"

Olivia only had the time to quickly look at Peter, utter horror etched in her face, pure terror in his, before the door to the bedroom was opened and Rachel appeared, rubbing her eyes and yawning. When she opened them, Olivia witnessed her sister's face losing all evidence of exhaustion in record time as her blue eyes became as wide as saucers.

"Look mommy, look who stayed over last night!" Elle exclaimed excitedly from her comfortable nook in between her aunt and Peter.

Rachel's gaze fell on her sister and their eyes met. Olivia tried her best to convey a look of… apology? Repentance? Remorse? Genuine guilt? She didn't know which, and based on the look on Rachel's face, it didn't seem to matter anyways.

"Mommy?" Ella looked questioningly at her mother. "What's the matter? You don't look happy that Peter's here."

Rachel opened and closed her mouth a few times before whispering, "Ella, come on, let's go make breakfast." She spoke to her daughter but her eyes did not leave Olivia.

Ella looked bummed out, but complied and rolled out of bed to join Rachel at the door. "I'll see you at breakfast Aunt 'Liv! You too, Peter!"

With one last look, Rachel led Ella out of the room and closed the door behind them with a sharp, crisp, bang that resonated in Olivia's ears and made Peter jump.

"That was…"

"Shit," Peter finished for her without hesitation. Olivia nodded in agreement, biting her cheek and sighing deeply. This was going to be a long morning.

X

Peter and Olivia emerged from the bedroom a few minutes later; Olivia pulled a wrap around grey sweater over her tank top and Peter put his shirt back on. They entered the kitchen without speaking, but Olivia felt Peter's hand brush against hers before they stepped into Rachel's plain of vision, and it comforted her for a moment.

"We made pancakes," Rachel greeted them with a small smile. Olivia returned it and caught Peter's eye in a quick side-glance. He was smiling too, especially when Ella took his hand and dragged him over to the pile of pancakes to point out which were the best.

Breakfast went smoothly with easy small talk and laughs and giggles from Ella's antics. Peter only left after every single pancake was gone, Ella had hugged him, and Rachel had patted his arm, smiled sweetly and waved goodbye. Olivia caught a meaningful glance from Peter before he disappeared, frowned in slight confusion, but decided to let it slide until later.

Closing the door after Peter, Olivia turned to find Rachel standing in front of her, arms crossed and expressionless.

Olivia looked down in shame. She took a steady breath in and out before she opened her mouth.

"Just give it to me, whatever it is, I probably deserve it."

Instead of getting angry, Rachel just smiled and shook her head. "'Liv, I'm not mad. Surprised, astounded, taken aback and kind of flabbergasted by this new side of you I've never seen before, but I'm not at all mad at you."

Olivia's surprised expression transformed into one of perplexity. "But… I though you might've… that you liked him."

Rachel rolled her eyes and shook her blonde curls. "'Liv, you work with the man every day. Anyone can tell that he's not lacking in the good looks department. Sure I liked him at first, but…" she trailed off and looked down at the her toes. "I picked up that you liked him already, and… I just backed off a bit." Rachel's eyes were as sincere as the words she spoke, and Olivia couldn't believe that her sister had finally clued in that every man in the world wasn't at her disposal. Her big sister had grown up. "I knew you liked him and all, it wasn't that hard to see, 'Livvy. I just didn't know it was _this_ official yet."

Olivia snapped out of her trance and remembered that Rachel had caught her in bed with Peter. "We're don't have a thing, Rachel, it's just a temporary arrangement." Olivia crossed her arms across her chest defensively. "It's nothing, Peter's just helping me out for a little while. There's nothing going on between us." Olivia was lying through her teeth and she knew it. Apparently her lie wasn't as persuasive as she wished it would be because Rachel was giggling.

"Oh, honey, that's the least convincing lie I've heard in a while. A _blind man_ could see it."

The younger Dunham sister shook her head stubbornly. "Really, there is nothing going on. He's doing me a favor as a _friend_. It doesn't mean anything to me, just that's he's giving me a hand – "

"With what?"

"I couldn't sleep," Olivia said quietly. "I need to be with him… to sleep."

"Wait a sec," Rachel said slowly, taking a step closer to her sister. "Exactly how long has this been going on for?"

Olivia looked anywhere but at Rachel. "Just less than a week."

"A _week?!_ Every night for _a week_?"

"Less than a week!"

Rachel put a hand to her forehead. "My God, 'Liv, are you mental? You tell me that you have no feelings for Peter, even though you do, and you've been sleeping with him for just under a week? This is going to explode in you face sooner or later."

Olivia made a face. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

Rachel was getting exasperated quickly. "It means that you're going to finally come to terms with your feelings for Peter eventually; sooner or later, this is all going to catch up with you, and… and you're going to have to re-examine the situation… for the both of you."

Olivia's mouth opened slightly because she knew that Rachel was right. She knew that he feelings for Peter, those God damned feelings she couldn't help but feel every time they were together, would surface without warning just like Rachel said and it would catch her of guard.

"'Livvy, are you ok?" Rachel looked concerned. "I didn't mean to freak you out, but it's true, I swear it is."

"I know…" Olivia groaned and ambled over to the couch and collapsed, mentally exhausted.

A look of pity crossed Rachel's face and she sat down beside her baby sister. "What are you going to do 'Liv?" she asked softly.

"I… I need to talk to him about it, this, the arrangement, whatever it is. I know I have to, but…" Olivia took a shaky breath and turned to look her sister directly in the eye. "I'm afraid that it will wreck what we already have."

Rachel beamed. "See? You _do_ care. A lot more that you think."

Olivia nodded and leaned her head on Rachel's shoulder. Her sister could be the most annoying person ever, the biggest flirt, but she did know a few more things about relationships than Olivia did. And she was a nice shoulder to lean on.

After a moment, Olivia sat up, stood up and grabbed her coat. "I'm going to go find him, and I'm going to set this straight."

"Go get him, tiger," Rachel winked.

Olivia smiled and was out of the apartment in seconds without even bothering to change out of her morning ensemble. There would be no bombs going off in her face today, the next day, or any other day to come; they were going to be diffused right here and now.

Olivia arrived at Peter's hotel faster than she'd expected. Adrenaline coursed through her veins and she shook her head to clear it. Olivia marched into the lobby, into the elevator and down the hallway to the room with her head held high. She approached the door with her heart hammering in her ears, but nonetheless knocked on the door with an authoritative brusqueness. As expected, Peter opened the door and smiled at the sight of her, disheveled morning elegance and all.

"Olivia."

"Peter… I need to talk to you."

"And, funny enough, I need to talk to you too," Peter smiled and leaned casually against the doorframe.

Olivia pursed her lips but couldn't help returning the smile. He had always had that effect on her from day one.

"Ok then," the door closed behind Olivia after she stepped across the threshold, feeling more uncertain than ever before of the way that the day's events would unfold. It was impossible to tell which way a single pebble would fall, never mind an avalanche of pebbles.

* * *

_Well? any guesses as to which way those pebbles might fall? I'd love to know where you all think this is going... in a review :) I know I probably don't deserve one after this, but care to take a sec to write one anyways, just to tell me your honest opinion?_

_Thanks a million, you guys are awesome you really are!!!_


	5. Chapter 5

_Ok, it's been a little while since my last update, and I know I promised these to come as fast as possible, but I was perfecting this chapter, just for you guys :)_

_I hope you enjoy it, I'm kinda proud of this one.... :D_

_oh, and I just want to take a second and THANK YOU ALL SO, SO MUCH for all the wonderful reviews, I couldn't do this without you all and your kindness!!!_

* * *

Even though it was only late morning, the suite was quiet, dark. All the blinds were drawn shut, blocking out the intense morning sunlight that would probably be blinding and annoying to the suite's occupants. Only two lamps were on in the main room, but other than that, the only light source came form the soft blue LEDs on the microwave, stove and dishwasher in the kitchen area. Olivia let her shoulders relax; the dark room provided a comforting atmosphere and her sudden burst of adrenaline mixed with undying, unmoving willpower was all but gone. She felt so at ease in the Bishop's dwelling that there was no need to be nervous or uptight – here, she could relax without the worry of... pretty much anything, if she was being honest with herself.

Olivia took her coat off, draped it over the back of the couch and sat down. Peter joined her and shot her a mad grin.

"Didn't bother to change out of your pjs?" he chuckled, clasping his hands together, elbows resting on his knees.

His comment triggered a sudden, unexpected bout of self-consciousness for Olivia. She felt her face redden, and the thought itself made her blush even more. _I shouldn't be feeling like this… he sees me like this all the time._ It was true – Peter had been seeing more of her in her tank top and sweats than he'd been seeing her in her usual pants suit and blouse; it was a scary thought.

"Can't say the same for you," she commented, noticing Peter's change of attire – a pair of jeans and a white blouse. "Have you got plans to go out on the town at – ," she checked her watch, "– ten thirty in the morning?"

Peter shrugged, his grin widening. "You never know! Walter's spending the whole day with Astrid at the lab… didn't even bother to ask what they're working on. I'm not sure I'd _want_ to know anyways."

Olivia happily returned the smile; her self-consciousness was already miles behind. They fell into a comfortable silence, one which Olivia unintentionally spent most of looking at Peter, until his voice broke it.

"Ok, you said you had to say something. You can go first, mine could take a while."

Olivia bit her tongue. _If only he knew what I'm planning to say._

"No, it's ok, mine… mine could take a while as well."

Peter shrugged, that charmer grin still firmly in place. "Alright, but for the record," he prompted, holding one finger in the air, "it was _you_ who told _me_ to go first."

Olivia nodded, not really knowing why there would be any problem with what he would say… unless it was something along the lines of what she was preparing to say.

_Uh-oh._

"Just curious…" she began slowly, choosing every word with the utmost care, "is the thing you're talking about… does it have anything to do with, um, with –"

"Our sleeping arrangements? Yeah, you could say that." Peter winked at her, but she saw the sudden spark of nervousness in his eyes before he could cover it up.

"Right." Olivia nodded and looked down at her hands. She had no idea where this was going anymore. Whatever inkling she'd had that had convinced her that she could take charge of the conversation, make what she wanted to say known in a heartbeat, and still be out of there before anything too disastrous happened, it was long gone – probably sitting on the side of the road back when she'd stepped into the suite itself. Come to think of it, she never really knew what the outcome could be if she went to Peter's. Granted, the adrenaline rush and the determined, tunnel-vision thinking were probably key players in the façade that was her short-lived, bogus sense of control.

Breaking into her stream of thoughts, Peter took a breath and angled himself to face Olivia more directly on the couch. "Rachel mentioned something to me when you were helping Ella wash her hands after breakfast today…" he began slowly. "She said that she was really happy for us."

Olivia swallowed hard.

"I'm hoping that you did explain to her in a little more detail after I left…?"

"Yes. I filled her in, more or less," Olivia nodded and smiled a little to mask the fact that she could feel the butterflies in her stomach becoming more agitated with every word he spoke.

"So, anyways, it kind of got me thinking, what she said," Peter scratched the back of his neck, a sign that he was most likely trying to tame a swarm of his own butterflies too. Relief washed through Olivia for a fraction of a second before Peter continued. "And I was thinking that… that maybe we shouldn't be so worried about the whole thing."

Peter was smiling, that trademark casual grin splayed across his face, but the carefree spark in his eyes had been replaced with one that resembled solemnity. God, he was being absolutely serious.

"What do you mean?" Olivia was mildly surprised – her voice had come out even more high pitched than she'd expected it to be after a statement like that.

Peter inched closer to her. "I mean… why hide it, 'Liv? Why bother? Who are we really trying to conceal this from?" He ran a hand through his hair and shrugged. "Rachel knows, so there's no point in trying to change that now. Who else? Charlie? The Bureau? Because I really don't have anyone to hide something like this from, but maybe… maybe you do."

Olivia stared back into those stunning green orbs of his until she couldn't bear it any longer, the gravity of Peter's words hitting her like a freight train.

"Olivia?" Peter's voice was gentle, soothing, just like the hand he placed on top of hers.

"I… I don't know… it's just…" she paused, searching for the proper words. "The last time I tried to hide something from my co-workers that, um, involved someone I worked with every day, well, you know how that one turned out." Peter nodded understandingly, his eyes never leaving her face. Olivia shrugged, shaking her head as a light blush crept up her neck. "I guess I'm just afraid that this could go south too, and… I cherish, um... I value… _us_ too much to chance that." Peter nodded again and Olivia could almost hear the clicking of the gears that were spinning and whirring inside Peter's head as he put things together.

Peter moved both his hands to her shoulders, gently coaxing her to face him with his touch. "'Livia, I want you to know that there is no possible way that I will ever let that happen, ok? I'm not John; I'm not going to do that to you… I could _never, ever_ do that to you."

Olivia could feel tears pricking at the corners of her eyes but she covered them up instinctively with a small chuckle and looked down at her clasped hands. Her knuckles were white from squeezing to hard, and she hadn't even noticed it pressure. "I know you won't Peter, but I'm still… I still don't want anything to happen. I wouldn't be able to forgive myself if I wrecked whatever it is that we've got here…" she trailed off, knowing all too well what _she_ had for _him_, but his true emotions were still unknown to her.

Throughout the entire speech, Olivia hadn't mustered up the courage to look at Peter. Now, feeling slightly empowered by her own words, she glanced back up and, to her relief, saw that he was smiling one of those hundred-watt smiles that went beyond the charm and the clever smirk.

"You don't have to worry about a thing, Olivia. I've got your back, like always, ok? And things get fucked up sometimes, it's how things work; trust me, I know from experience."

Olivia nodded. She would be lying if she said that she'd had no experience in that area of life before – numerous times.

"If people knew," he continued, hands still resting gently on her shoulders, "Well, let's just say that worse things have happened in the grand scheme of the universe," he chortled softly, letting his hands drop to meet with hers. Olivia's chuckles joined him, images of bio-terrorists, killer viruses and toxins running through her mind – yes, it was undeniable that there were worse things than _that_.

A wave of relief washed through Olivia at his calm, his optimism, and his warm, steady hands as they held hers.

"Ok, so are we on the same page on that matter then?"

Olivia nodded, almost eagerly.

"Great," Peter's smile, now amped up to a thousand-watts, was contagious, and Olivia couldn't help but grin right back. "Now," he gently removed his hands from hers, "what did you want to tell me?"

"Nothing, it's not important anymore," Olivia lied, the smile still on her face, but only as a defensive mechanism now.

Peter frowned slightly, "Are you sure? Because you kind of made it out to be a big deal…"

Olivia shook her head; beginning to wonder how much Peter knew she wasn't saying. It wasn't a matter of _if_ he knew she wasn't being totally truthful, he just knew those things. It was more along the lines of to what extent he was reading into her cover-up. "No, really, it's ok Peter, it doesn't matter."

Even though it did. It meant everything, but Olivia couldn't bring herself to say it. Not now, God, what had she been thinking? And _shit_, what if exposing a truth like that _did_ irreparably screw up their friendship?

After studying her for a moment, Peter stood and Olivia copied him. "Are you sure you're sure 'Livia?"

"Peter, it's nothing, honestly."

He shrugged, the playful grin showing itself. "Whatever you say, ma'am."

"So I guess I'll see you later at the lab?" Olivia suggested as she picked up her coat, but didn't put it on, all the while never making direct eye contact with Peter.

"Yeah, I'll probably stop by in a bit, just to check up on Walter. Y'know, make sure he doesn't blow a hole in the world or something. I'd never hear the end of it from Broyles."

Olivia laughed. His jokes could always make her do that; it was a gift her had… or a weakness on her part.

Peter stopped her when she approached the door. "Now, it's not like I'm going to go and tell the whole world that we're sleeping together – " he paused for a moment at the tiny slip into unchartered territory, " – but if you're not ready for people to know, it's ok. I'm not too much for it or against it one way or another, but I'll wait for you to make the first move, whenever you're ready, 'k?"

"Sure, right… um thanks," Olivia stammered, not trusting herself to say much more than those few words. Peter's kindness was intense. She turned to leave, but his voice stopped her and she glanced over her shoulder.

He was smiling gently, having keyed into her insecurity in a split second. "Worst comes to worst, they might think that we're having a passionately mad, secret love affair."

When Olivia didn't look to thrilled at the idea, even though unbeknownst to Peter fireworks were going off inside her, he grabbed her from behind, wrapping his arms around her tiny waist and tickling her. Olivia was caught off guard and could only kick her legs frantically and squirm in Peter's strong grasp as tears of laughter rolled down her cheeks. Peter was strong, but eventually he had to sink down to his knees to avoid becoming a target for one of Olivia's thrashing legs.

Peter, who had to physically sit on her to keep her remotely still, pinned her down, but her arms were still free and Olivia used them to shield her midriff from his hands. Eventually, Peter got hold of one of her wrists and pinned it up by her head, a triumphant grin displayed on his face. A second later, her other wrist was also held captive by Peter, pinned up in a similar fashion. With no more flailing limbs, all that was left was heavy breathing and a silence that was unlike any other. For it wasn't really a silence, a few things could still be heard, like the deep, heavy breathes that both Peter and Olivia were taking.

And the heartbeats. Olivia could feel her pulse hammering in her skull, and somehow, she felt Peter's too. God, were they really that close? Was he really touching that much of her that there was a discernable pulse that was not her own, but somehow in sync with her rhythms?

She could feel his breath on her face; taste the coffee that blew dangerously close to her lips. Her depth perception must have been off, for Peter's face was getting closer and closer to hers. Her breathing grew shallow and rapid; more and more of Peter was coming into contact with her as he leant over. Her shirt rode up slightly at the bottom and a fire burned inside Olivia when Peter's shirt and some of his midsection came into physical contact with her bare, exposed skin.

She glanced up and caught a glimpse of his brilliant green eyes, just inches from hers, before they slowly closed and, simultaneously, their lips met. Olivia didn't waste a more than a few seconds, responding passionately and gently sucking on his lower lip, asking permission to go further. Peter answered, permitting her tongue entrance and lowering himself even further against her torso. Her hands were free, running through his hair and caressing his face as his hands found her neck and soon became tangled in long, blonde hair.

For a few moments, both were lost, hopelessly lost in each other. Then realization, reality, and the gravity of what was really happening hit them and both pulled, nearly jumped, apart simultaneously, as if an electrical current had surged between their points of contact.

_This is wrong._

Olivia didn't know what to think because she'd done it, done the one thing that she wouldn't do, because it would destroy them, what they had. And now that the deed was done, her mind froze and nothing would process. She was numb when Peter removed himself from her and sat up. She didn't feel it when he offered her his hand and pulled her into a sitting position. She could barely fathom what was going on behind the two green eyes that looked back into her own, full of fear, lingering fervor, and shock.

"We shouldn't… that shouldn't have happened." Peter's words, thankfully, did register in Olivia's scrambled mind and she nodded. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have – "

"No, it's… my fault too," Olivia confessed quietly. "I… I should have just told you."

Peter's head snapped up. "Told me what?"

Olivia's eyes went wide and she looked away quickly, shaking her head.

"'Liv, tell me what?" he wasn't angry, but there was a spark of annoyance in Peter's tone.

Still not looking up, Olivia just kept shaking her head.

"_Olivia_."

Her name, and the hand that cupped her face, gently forcing it up, made her look at him.

"We're in this together, 'Liv. We can't be keeping secrets from each other in this relationship, because _we_ are in one. You, me; together." Peter's words were stern but brutally honest and it caused a shuddering breath and a tear to break free of Olivia's inner walls.

It took her a moment of trying and failing to successfully get words to come out of her mouth in the place of silent confessions to actually be able to voice her most sacred words, ones that weren't spoken lightly. Peter waited patiently, his hand still resting comfortingly against her cheek. Olivia spoke quietly. "I think I love you, Peter."

She laid her own hand on top of his, pressing his hand to her face and leaning into his touch while Peter's thumb stroked her cheek in easy, soothing strokes. Now, she could only wait and see what he would do. Everything was already as messed up as it could be, things really couldn't go much further south than they already had.

"Hey."

Olivia glanced up, but wasn't prepared for the tidal wave of compassion and only the deepest care that hit her smack in the face with no warning sirens to prepare her. But it was refreshing, that wave was. It was cleansing, regenerating, invigorating. It washed all of those damn boulders out of the way, clearing her way, and effortlessly sending the tiny pebbles clean out of the park.

"That's what you wanted to tell me, 'Liv?"

A nod was her reply. Olivia did not have any faith her vocal chords whatsoever.

Peter smiled sweetly, leaning in a bit closer to her. "I already knew that one, sweetheart."

Olivia frowned and gave him look. Surely she'd just misheard him, but her eyes had seen his lips move to form the words and watched his eyes as they'd glistened with a soft, almost loving nature. And he was still there, staring at her, gazing at her like he had eyes for her and only her… like he always had, back when he'd first kicked a pebble out of her way, just as a common courtesy. That had built to another, slightly larger rock, and that had grown into a boulder, but he had still managed to push it out of her way. But a colossal tidal wave? Peter was too generous, too considerate. It was overwhelming, and Olivia couldn't find any words or emotions to bring it to a point, to sum everything up, but she didn't want to. It would take away from the moment, from the now: sitting on the floor of the hotel room with Peter, his hand having never left her face, just sitting, starring, and enjoying each other's presence.

* * *

_*holds breath*_

_Soooo? Good, not so good? let me know!!!_

_off to work on 'Impulsiveness' in a bit.... it's the next in line!_

_xoxo_


	6. Chapter 6

_Hi there!!! One month away at camp (best month of my life :D) and now my muse is back and fired up!!! So I decided to finish Pebbles for you guys, because I owe it to you... REALLY owe it!!_

_Please do enjoy this chapter, I'm quite fond of how it turned out!_

_Disclaimer: Don't own it. Still haven't accepted the fact, but will I ever? I think not. :P_

* * *

"So wait… you said you loved him, and then he didn't say anything back?!"

Olivia shook her head for what must have been the billionth time in the last ten minutes and sat down opposite Rachel.

"I said that I _thought_ I loved him, and then he told me that he already knew, and then…" she shrugged. "We just sat for a bit and talked for a few minutes until Broyles called us in and… yeah, we kind of left off there."

Rachel's jaw dropped precariously closer to the ground. "And you left off _there_?"

"Yeah... so?" Olivia was beginning to squirm under her sister's gaze. "The case was a big one, and we didn't really have time to talk about anything non-case related… but it was different." She smiled fondly at the day's blur of memories that, for once, had nothing to do with a case. It was the first time she could recall thinking about a full workday and not struggle to suppress grotesque and deeply disturbing images. Instead, she saw Peter handing her a manila folder; Peter grinning and grabbing the keys to the Vista Cruiser; Peter leaning against the counter with a cup of strong coffee in his hand, firing her a smile and rolling his eyes while Walter rambled on using big words that she knew he understood but chose to ignore anyways. "There just isn't that much to say between us, I know it's weird, but there isn't really that much to discuss. Everything just feels mutual."

Rachel still seemed to be struggling with her sister's reasoning. She shook her head as if to clear it, and then smiled and rested her head on her palms, elbows planted on her knees. "Well if I didn't know better, it sounds like you've completely fallen for him!"

"And what if I have?" Olivia mused out loud. The response visibly shocked Rachel, and Olivia found that she too was taken aback at her own words. _Have I really fallen that hard? For Peter?_

"Holy crap you _have_!" Rachel slumped forward and rested her head against her knees, giggles shaking her body. Her head snapped back up and a peal of laughter escaped her lips. "Oh 'Liv…" she crossed the space between them and enveloped her sister in a tight embrace. "The last time you were even close to this level of love-related insanity was when that guy you liked asked you out in junior high… what was his name again?"

Olivia smiled over her sister's shoulder. "It was high school, and his name was Patrick."

"Patrick, right!" Rachel grinned again and pulled back, hands on her sister's shoulders.

"And, for the record," Olivia added, "This is nothing like what happened with Patrick. This… I don't know. This is something completely different, I guess. I mean, it's the oddest relationship I've ever had with a guy… I might've fallen for him, and at the same time, it feels like we could carry on as friends… or kind of friends, like it's something more but not to the level of dating or anything serious… I'm not making any sense right now, am I?"

"You know what?" Rachel asked, a sudden spark in her eye that momentarily worried Olivia. "I think that it sounds meaningful and sincere in a strange way, but I'd reckon that Peter would appreciate hearing it more than I would."

"Like I said, there's not too much to say between us these days… but I think you might be right."

Rachel beamed. Olivia shot her a look, but couldn't keep a straight face and cracked a smile. Yes, she would talk to Peter, and, this time, she wasn't at all worried about it. There was no driving need to make a point clear or prove anything to him. They were just going to talk, and then she would go from there.

X

The door opened into the Harvard lab with the familiar pattern of creaks that had become so well known to Olivia that she could predict which pitch occurred when in the sequence. She smiled to herself. It only proved that she'd been in this room too many times to count.

The room was quiet, save for the gentle hums of machines and contraptions of Walter's making that comforted her. Then she spotted Peter sitting on the couch; feet propped up, a massive book in his hands. Olivia dropped her coat on the metal railing that descended into the deepest section of the lab and made her way to Peter. He noticed her and grinned, holding up the book.

Olivia smiled back. "The Da Vinci Code?"

He shrugged. "I thought it looked interesting, and wait, let me guess, you've already read it?"

"Correct, as per usual," she confirmed, coming to sit beside him on the couch.

"So I trust that you know what I mean when I say that Dan Browne is a bit of a literary genius?"

"Completely," Olivia's smile widened. "Where is everyone?"

Peter jerked his thumb at the door. "Astrid took Walter on a field trip to get us some decent Thai food for dinner. The week-or-so-old box in the mini fridge is growing things that are even scaring Walter."

Olivia laughed quietly to herself, not missing the gentle smile that graced Peter's features when she did.

Silence ensued for a few seconds, a few seconds in which Peter picked up on her vibe as easily as if it were written before him in black and white. "You came to tell me something."

It was a statement that didn't need her verification. "I did… I just wanted to let you know… that I don't really expect you to do or say anything else after, um, this morning, I don't know how much else there is to say anyways… and I'm good. Really, really, good. We're good, right? You… you just make me feel… _ok_. No matter what. And… now you think I'm crazy."

The last part was added on account of Peter's quizzical facial expression. Olivia bit her lip, wondering what he would say.

"Well, quite on the contrary Olivia, I know that you're not crazy, and I think you made perfect sense."

"I did?"

Peter nodded, that boyish grin growing ever more appealing to the eye. He inched closer to her, shifting on the couch so that he could actually face her. "Would it make you feel better if I said that I have no better idea of what kind of weird, messed up relationship we've got than you do?"

Olivia laughed again. "Just a bit, it would."

"See? We're on the same page here," Peter gently prodded her shoulder for emphasis. "From what I can gather, you're telling me that you know that you have no idea how you really feel about me. Still on the right track?"

"Yeah…" Olivia watched, amazed, as he began to spell things out for her, things that she knew in her core, but was at a loss to articulate.

Peter continued, his voice gaining in momentum as he dug deeper and deeper. "You also know that you see me more than just a friend, but you're not sure if that fact determines that you want to be involved in a full-on relationship."

Olivia nodded, her throat unexpectedly dry. She couldn't have spoken a word even if she'd had the smallest ounce of faith in her vocal chords.

"And finally," Peter grinned at her and held up a third finger to exaggerate his third point, "You're comfortable with the way things are, no more, no less. It balances out the working atmosphere for you. You see me every day, and you don't have to feel awkward about it. At the same time, any deeper feelings you may have are still there, and don't have to be buried, but they aren't exactly out in the open either. The balance that is created is a place that you can find comfort in and be able to function in without worrying about too many repercussions and consequences from quite possibly falling for a guy who is like nothing like anything else you've ever known before."

He spoke the last word and a silence rung through the air that made the hair on the nape of her neck stand up and a chill shoot down her spine.

"Olivia?" Peter touched her shoulder with his hand. "Are you ok? You look a bit pale."

She blinked a few times and shook her head. "I… I don't know. That was… _frighteningly_ accurate."

Peter smiled slightly, amused. "I wasn't kidding when I said that you were making perfect sense. It just wasn't in the way that you thought."

"Yeah, no freaking kidding," she breathed shakily. His hand was suddenly resting against her cheek and tilting it upwards until their eyes met.

"Sorry if that freaked you out a bit."

Olivia didn't know how to respond, so she just giggled uncontrollably. "I don't even know what to say to that!"

Peter laughed too. "Whatever you do, just don't pass out on me. The color still hasn't returned to your cheeks."

"No promises…" she said quietly, almost to herself. Peter nodded and, seemingly convinced that she wouldn't keel over, removed his hand from her face.

"So now that we know all about you, and that you are in a good place right now, and that you have a balance that's comfortable and such, then I guess that it would only be fair to give you a hint of what's going on with me."

"Definitely fair enough." Olivia grinned. He returned it and, before she knew what was happening, Peter had gathered her up in his arms and was kissing her. _Really_ kissing her. One of those kisses that takes your breath away and leaves you light-headed and stunned from the sheer intensity of it.

"There," he said softly when they slowly drew apart. "That's how _I _feel…. But don't get me wrong, your balance… it's nice. Just thought I would level the playing field. You kiss me, confess something big, and then I just get off easy? I don't think so! So there. We've both shared, and now… we sink into that balance."

"Yes. A… _balance_." Olivia managed to reaffirm, her eyes still wide from Peter's soul searching and that damn _kiss_.

"Our balance."

"Yeah… our balance." A giggle escaped Olivia's lips and became contagious. Soon, she and Peter were both in stitches laughing at nothing more than the utter and total insanity of their situation. Tears welled up in Olivia's eyes, but she didn't care. The weights she had been carrying around with her were gone. There was no more landslide trying to bring her down, no avalanche that tried to bury her at every opportunity that came along the way. There wasn't even a mountain anymore. Just a flat, ongoing road, the sun on her back, and a warm, gentle hand on her shoulder. She was laughing so hard that she didn't notice that Peter was attempting to shake her out of her fit to no avail. However, she did stop when the image of Walter and Astrid, blurred by her tears of mirth, appeared in her vision. Still chortling, Olivia realized with a shock that she was lying sprawled out and fully up against Peter on the couch, which wouldn't have mattered if it was just the two of them… but Walter looked so funny with his confused expression and an armful of small white boxes, all of which radiated delicious aromas of various types of Thai cuisine. It was too much, and she was gone again, laughing until the tears spilled over her cheeks and her sides ached from the effort. Somewhere in her glee, Olivia noticed that Peter was still laughing with her and that he was still her acting pillow on the couch. It was a solid five minutes before she could get a hold of herself and, with Peter's help, pull herself into a sitting position on the couch.

"My goodness, miss Dunham, what manner of liquor did my son provide you with? I haven't seen a woman that drunk since that summer in – "

"Don't want to know!" Peter, Olivia and Astrid all chimed in unison.

Walter shrugged indignantly. "Very well. But I still wish to know what exactly Peter has done to you to bring out this new side of your personality, Olivia. Do you know what? You're like an onion! Yes! You never know what the next layer will be until you peel it off."

Even Astrid was struggling to keep a straight face as they set out the food around the small coffee table.

Dinner passed with more laughs than had ever been heard out of both Olivia and Peter, but especially Olivia. She couldn't remember the last time she'd felt so good. Genuinely good, and purely happy. At quarter past ten, they finally wrapped things up and Peter sent some of the Thai back to the hotel with Walter, after begging Astrid to drop him off on her way home. She had obliged with a knowing smile and made no further comments or questions surrounding the matter.

Peter drove Olivia home in the Cruiser and walked her to the door as per usual. They had fallen into a routine at night by now. Olivia would check on Rachel and Ella (not that it was really necessary anymore) and go and get changed while Peter hid his coat and cell phone (not that that was necessary either). So now it was just Olivia going to change while Peter waited. She appeared in the doorway a moment later, looking practically radiant in nothing but a tank top and pajama pants.

"Oh!" She exclaimed, "I forgot about the extra Thai…"

"Hey, I got it," Peter held up a hand and she stopped. "It's ok, I know where everything is, including the Tupperware!" He added hastily, stopping Olivia from reminding him before the words could even come out of her mouth. "Don't worry, 'Liv, I got it covered. Go crawl into bed, I'll be right there."

"Ok, I trust you in my kitchen… I guess." She teased him and disappeared into the master bedroom in a whoosh of blonde hair. Peter chuckled as he set about putting the food away in a fashion that would actually help it last for a few days, as opposed to sitting open and unprotected on the counter.

Not ten minutes later, Peter had completed his task, and, smelling strongly of Thai and a mixture of pungent spices, made his way into the bedroom. The light was already off, and he expected her to shuffle over when he sat on the side of the bed, but to his utmost surprise, Olivia was already sound asleep. He frowned in shock. She'd been able to fall asleep without him for the first time since that day with Nick and the moments they'd shared in hospital corridors. Peter smiled and carefully slipped in beside her, front to front, just like that first night they'd spent together. Light and shadow threw patterns across her face and Peter inched closer, just so he could look at her gorgeousness as close-up as possible. Olivia really was beautiful, even more so in sleep. Peter smiled and stroked the strands of hair that cascaded across her face like a tangle of spider webs and tucked them behind her ear. His arm tucked itself around her midsection and his legs interlaced with hers until they were just a tangle of flannel fabric. Pulling Olivia close, Peter whispered softly and gently, his lips grazing hers as he spoke, "I think I love you too."

* * *

_There we go folks, I believe that's the end!!! I might do an epilogue but I dunno.... i like the way it ends here. an epilogue might ruin it._

_Thank you to all of you for reading my fic, an even bigger thank you to those who reviewed, and the biggest possible thank you mixed with cyber cookies for those of you who have stuck by me and this fic even though its taken months to write!!! You guys really are the best, and your kind, sweet words are my motivation :)_

_xoxo_


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